


Triumphs and Tribulations

by Sherlock1110, sherlockian4evr



Series: The Adventures of Finn and His Fathers [2]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Adoption, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Family, Happy Ending, Love, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Protective Sherlock Holmes, Trials, Understanding John
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2020-10-29 07:07:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20792636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sherlock1110/pseuds/Sherlock1110, https://archiveofourown.org/users/sherlockian4evr/pseuds/sherlockian4evr
Summary: Sherlock's mother goes on trial for past abuses and he is forced to testify. His family gathers around him. How will he cope with the pressure? Will it tear them apart or bring them closer together?





	1. Disruptions

A month later and not a lot had changed. Finn still slept between them, they’d tried several times to get him to sleep on his own but he was having none of it. It was inconvenient to certain bedroom activities and their routines had to be changed regarding said activities, but both Sherlock and John agreed that the young boy's peace of mind was worth it.

“Finn, come on. Time for breakfast.”

The little boy was refusing to wake up and Sherlock was in the shower.

John walked the short distance to the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed. He placed a hand on Finn's shoulder and shook him gently. "Come on, wake up."

Finn was shaking his head into the pillow.

“Why not?”

“Shlock sad.”

John sighed. “I know he is, munchkin, it’s a big day.”

The doctor dreaded the day ahead. It was the beginning of Violet Holmes' trial. If he dreaded it, Sherlock had to be terrified. No, not terrified. That was the wrong word. Maybe emotionally compromised would fit better. Whatever the case, John wished he could shelter him from what was to come.

The knock on the door jarred the little boy from the bed. “Uncle Mycie!” He ran through to the living room in his pyjamas and threw his arms around Mycroft’s legs.

The government official scooped him up, not looking as awkward as he should have. "Good morning, John," he said when the doctor joined them in the living room. "How is my brother doing?"

“Lets just say there is no hot water left.”

“Greggie!” Finn struggled out of Mycroft’s grip and ran to the door where the DI had appeared.

“I got accosted by Mrs. Hudson.” Greg picked the little boy up and hugged him. "Have you been taking care of John and Sherlock?" he asked.

"Yup. John and me made him eat last night. He didn't want to."

“He never wants too. But speaking of which,” John grabbed Finn from Greg’s lap. “Breakfast, munchkin. Mycroft can you find your brother please. He’s been in the bathroom nearly an hour.”

With a nod, Mycroft went down the hall and knocked on the bathroom door. "Sherlock!" He waited, listening, until the sound of falling water ceased. But his little brother didn’t come out. “Sherlock, come on.”

“No. Go away.”

“Sherlock, out now. Or I will kick the door in.”

The younger Holmes jerked the door open to glare at his brother, wearing nothing more than a towel. "Why are you here?"

"You know why."

“Why are you here now?” He reiterated.

“You know why,” Mycroft repeated, turning to sit back on the sofa.

Sherlock didn’t say anything, but headed to the bedroom to get dressed. He didn't want everyone making a fuss over him. Things were bad enough already.

“Shlock.”

Sherlock glanced up at the door, he was in a white shirt and his pants. Finn was stood there in just his pyjamas.

“Come on, let’s get you dressed.”

He scooped Finn up and threw him on the bed. At the little boy's giggle, he managed a weak smile.

The detective quickly got into his trousers and then pulled out the little suit Mycroft had got for Finn.

He stuck his tongue out at the suit.

“I know,” Sherlock sat on the bed beside him and pulled the tie from his pocket. “I hate them too. But brother dear says we have to.”

"Boring."

"Yup," Sherlock said, popping the P. He reached out and unzipped Finn's pyjamas and helped him out of them. The little boy swung his legs as Sherlock helped him on with his shirt and started buttoning it up.

When they emerged John had to stop himself from sniggering.

“Well don’t you look handsome!”

Sherlock grinned but John reached over to scoop the boy up. “You look good too, Sherlock.”

Rather than make a snarky comeback, the detective just smiled. He didn't feel like eating and he wasn't going to let anyone try to make him. He slipped into the living room and over to one of the windows.

“Sherlock, Dad will be here soon.”

“Why does he have to come?”

Mycroft sighed. “He’s been called in to testify.”

Of course. He should have predicted that. Sherlock, still facing the window, closed his eyes. This entire thing was making him slow. Too much of his brain power was preoccupied with the upcoming trial. He wouldn't be able to concentrate on a case even if one came his way.

It was weird, facing up to all this so many years after the event. He glanced towards Finn. He was glad he was doing it though. The boy’s parents had plead guilty so there had been no trial for Finn to worry about.

Sherlock heard his brother talking to Greg behind him. "I didn't expect you to be here, Greg."

"You're family. Of course I'm here." The DI did feel like Sherlock was family and he cared about him very much. It had never occurred to him not to offer his support with his presence. “And anyway, someone has to drive.”

Sherlock snorted. “Like Mycroft lets you drive his cars anyway.”

"Gregory is an excellent driver," Mycroft countered. Besides, if his boyfriend wanted to drive, there was no way he could tell him no.

John tapped Sherlock on the shoulder, having brought him a cup of coffee. "I know you don't feel like eating, but you can at least drink this."

The detective took the proffered mug with a small smile of thanks, then returned to looking out the window.

“Dad’s here,” he said after a moment.

Finn scrambled down from Mycroft’s lap and ran to the door, swinging it wide. When Mr. Holmes appeared, the little boy hugged his legs.

"Hello, Finn," Siger said, patting him on the head. He looked around. "So, I'm the last one here." Finn refused to let go until he picked him up.

“It’s hardly a family reunion,” Sherlock complained.

"No, it's not," his father agreed sadly. Mr. Holmes sat in Sherlock’s chair, holding Finn on his lap.

At the knock on the door, Sherlock glanced towards John. “Why is Mrs. Hudson here?”

"She's coming too," John said simply.

Their landlady bustled into the flat. She went straight over to Sherlock and hugged him. "Oh, Sherlock," she said, seeing the confused expression on his face. "Don't give me that look. Of course I'm coming with you."

The detective pulled free. “I don’t get what the big deal is! After Donovan took her away these events are hardly a surprise.”

"Well, if you need an excuse, dear, I'll be able to help look after Finn," Mrs. Hudson said with an exasperated air.

"The 'big deal', little brother, is that the trial is bound to bring up bad memories. We want to be there for you should you need our support."

Sherlock snorted. He wasn't a child anymore. He could cope very well on his own. “Why?! I coped with it alone when it was happening. Reliving it is hardly going to be any worse.”

At his brother's words, Mycroft flinched. "You shouldn't have had to face it alone."

Siger looked down at Finn and hugged him. "I would change it if I could." He clearly felt guilty about how things had gone.

John cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "It's time to go," he announced.

It got uncomfortably quiet for a few moments. Sherlock broke the silence, "Fine." He stood to his full height and headed towards the door.

“Wait!” Finn called. He rushed over to Sherlock and wrapped his arms around his legs. “Daddy.”

The detective picked up the little boy, resting him on his hip as Finn wrapped his arms around Sherlock without another word.

The detective’s eyes were wide but Finn didn’t see it as he had his head under Sherlock’s chin.

“John?” Sherlock asked, confused. “Did you hear that?”

The doctor crossed to where Sherlock held Finn, “yeah. Daddy.” He had a large grin on his face.

At Sherlock’s continued confusion, he added, "What did you expect? You've been more of a father to him than his ever was."

Finn didn’t seem to understand what the big deal was.

Siger did, he’d turned away to wipe tears from his eyes.

Greg reached out and snagged Mycroft’s hand, giving it a squeeze. He knew his boyfriend was just as moved as he was, even if Mycroft didn’t show it.

“Come on,” he jiggled the boy in his arms. “Or we will be late.”

“Run!” Finn yelled.

“Do not run down the stairs!” John yelled after them, he turned to the rest of the room. “Well that was a pleasant surprise.”

"He's a good boy," Mrs. Hudson said, smiling. She patted John’s shoulder as she passed him, headed down the stairs.

“It was only a matter of time, he’s called me Uncle Mycroft for the last fortnight.” He turned on his father. “Grandad.”

Siger mock winced. "You just had to say it." He broke into a smile. "I actually like the sound of it."

Mycroft snickered and then huffed impatiently when both Sherlock and Finn yelled “bored!” Up the stairs.

John smiled. Finn was just as good for Sherlock as the detective was for Finn. He headed down the stairs, trusting the others to follow him.

“You little munchkin!” Sherlock still had hold of Finn so he shoved him back gently into the wall and blew a raspberry on Finn’s belly.

Opening the front door, John gestured the two out. "Come on. We've got to get going or we'll be late."

Sherlock sighed, his thoughts abruptly turned back on the day ahead. He looked down when he felt Finn grasp his hand.

It was Mycroft who picked Finn up to put him in his booster. “You’re going to have outgrown this one soon!” Mycroft laughed.

Finn looked proud at that pronouncement. He kicked his feet as Mycroft fastened the buckle.

On the other side of the car, Sherlock slipped into the seat and closed the door.

“Oi,” John grumbled, opening the door again and sliding in beside him. “That was mean.”

Finn's chuckle made Sherlock laugh.

Greg and Mycroft got in the front seats, the DI sliding behind the wheel. Mr. Holmes and Mrs. Hudson got in the black sedan that was parked behind them.

Sherlock didn’t know if he wanted the car to speed up or slow down. Both presented a problem. His left knee began bouncing uncontrollably. John rested his hand on Sherlock’s thigh, stilling him.

"Take it easy," the doctor said in a soothing tone.

"No! Why should I?"

"Because you are setting a role model to Finn," John whispered.

Sherlock closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the seat. He couldn't just shut the feelings he had off, even if he wanted to deny to himself and everyone else that he had them.

All too soon... or not soon enough, the car pulled up outside the court.

“It’ll be fine,” John assured him. “Help Finn out.”

It was clear that if they kept Sherlock focused on Finn, he would be able to face the day better. Unfortunately, he would soon be sequestered away as a witness and that distraction wouldn't last.

“Here,” Mycroft pulled out an over stuffed cat from a bag under the seat.

Finn took it and hugged it to his chest.

Together, they entered the building and made their way towards the courtroom. They stopped just outside.

"Finn, you need to go to the bathroom before we go in," John told the little boy. "Come on."

"No, I'll take him," Sherlock insisted. He could use the time to settle his nerves out of the sight of the other adults.

“Finn, make sure he doesn’t try and escape.”

The little boy laughed but nodded. That was exactly what Sherlock was likely to do. In fact, Mycroft made a point to stand by the bathroom window.

When they emerged, Sherlock looked especially pale, but determined. He walked Finn back over to the group. Crouching down, he looked him in the eyes. "If it gets to be too much, tell John and Mrs. Hudson will bring you back out here."

Finn nodded but went to Siger instead.

Siger lifted him up, staring at Sherlock. “You alright, son? You don’t look well.”

“He went bleurgh in the bathroom.”

Sherlock looked away, embarrassed.

Without saying anything, John took his hand and squeezed it. He willed all of his love and support to travel through that connection and fortify his boyfriend.

“Mr. Holmes,” a man, Sherlock recognised as the prosecution barrister appeared at the door. “There are things we need to discuss before we begin.”

The detective paled even more and simply stared at the man.

"Babe?" John whispered. "Are you alright?" It was a stupid question, he knew. Obviously Sherlock wasn't alright.

"Yes," the detective managed. He peeled his hand away from John's almost as if it hurt him physically to do so.

“I would like to speak to the three Holmeses first as they are the first witnesses. Come on through.”

Sherlock crouched down beside Finn, “stay with John.”

The little boy threw his arms around him for one last hug. Sherlock had to gently remove Finn's arms from around him as John tried to take him. Sherlock straightened his jacket, then joined his father and Mycroft in following the barrister.

John smiled slightly as Finn waved goodbye to the detective, “He will be back soon,” he assured the little boy before throwing him towards the DI.

And Greg plucked the giggling boy from thin air. He was far too light for his age. "Would you like to meet my daughters this weekend? They're dying to meet you." He glanced at John. "Of course, we'll have to get John and Sherlock’s permission." Both he and Mycroft thought the couple could use some time to themselves during all of the inevitable chaos that was about to ensue.

“What do you think?”

Finn grinned. “They bigger than me?”

Greg nodded. “Yup. And heavier!”

"Can I, John?" Finn asked eagerly.

"Like Greg said, we'll have to ask Sherlock." John was torn. He'd like some time alone with his boyfriend, but he wasn't sure sending Finn away even for a few hours was a good idea.

Behind them people were starting to trickle into the courtroom.

"John, I suggest we find our seats." Greg opened the door to the courtroom and held it for the others to enter.


	2. Relief

They found seats together where Sherlock would be able to see them easily from the witness block.

Finn sat kicking his feet while the man at the front of the court discussed the way things would go and then Mrs. Holmes was brought in. He didn't really pay any attention, though, until Sherlock was called as the first witness. When that happened, he climbed up on his knees, the better to see him as he came in.

John reached over and pulled Finn onto his lap. He was surprised the little boy could watch any of this, when he as an adult was feeling sick. There was so many precautions in place for Finn but it seemed it would be the adults who needed it more.

Both Mycroft and Siger could see Sherlock on a screen in the witness room. They were both rather proud until the inevitable outburst.

The resulting chaos was short lived, but intense. The judge called an adjournment in order for all parties to calm down.

On the screen, Sherlock was protesting that he was perfectly calm.

Mycroft just rested his forehead in his palm.

“We knew that was going to happen.”

Mycroft sighed. “Why does she hate him so much? She’s our mother!”

Siger wanted to hug his oldest son, but held back, knowing it wouldn't be welcome.

Both the Holmeses looked up when Sherlock was ushered back into the small room. He looked like he had been gut punched, but there was a great amount of anger showing as well.

"I hate her!" he growled, wanting to punch something.

The barrister tried to calm him down to no avail.

Before anyone realised what was going on, Finn had given John the slip from the gallery and charged into the room, wrapping his arms around Sherlock’s legs.

The barrister frowned, disapproving, but Finn's presence did what no one else could. It calmed Sherlock instantly.

"I don't like that mad lady," Finn said honestly.

Sherlock wanted to say nothing more than ‘I don’t like your mum either’ but he knew Finn still thought about her a lot. Maybe one day he’d forget completely, it wasn’t like it was ongoing for several years.

John appeared at the door. He hesitated there, unsure if he was allowed to come in.

Strictly speaking, he shouldn't have been there, but the barrister motioned him in. Someone had to collect Finn after all.

“Come on, mate.”

“No. That lady with the funny hat said we had half hour.”

"Five minutes," the barrister allowed. "Then we need to regroup and discuss what's going to happen when court reconvenes."

Sherlock picked up Finn and hugged him to him as he took a seat. His eyes met John's over the little boy's shoulder and he smiled thinly.

“I don’t mean to interrupt the clever people, but that outburst can’t look good to a jury?”

The barrister nodded once. “Quite right. And with Mycroft’s statement to shortly follow, Mrs. Holmes’ plea may change.”

John hoped it did. If her plea changed, they could abandon the rest of the trial. That would be best for all involved.

"She should have pled guilty from the beginning," Mycroft said darkly. "But she's only ever thought of herself.

"Finn, it's time for us to go," John said quietly, crossing over where the boy and Sherlock sat. He picked Finn up effortlessly, then dropped a kiss on Sherlock’s temple. "We'll be waiting on you."

After a few minutes of waiting for things to reconvene, Finn was bored, he was shifting around and fidgeting just like Sherlock did. In the end it was Greg who pulled him onto his lap as Mycroft appeared.

The DI was proud of his boyfriend. Mycroft had always been protective of Sherlock, but finding out he had failed him in such a basic way had taken its toll. Instead of wallowing in it, however, the government official had done what was needed to help, even when that meant giving Sherlock his space. Greg knew it hadn't been easy for him.

And if it hadn’t been for Mycroft, Finn would have been taken into care, there was no way he had the juice to pull so many strings so quickly.

John spent his time watching Mrs. Holmes. The more testimony Mycroft gave, the paler she looked. The barrister sitting with her didn’t look any too pleased himself. Every now and again, he leant over and said something to her. She never answered, just kept her mouth set in a thin line.

Towards the end of Mycroft’s speech he turned towards his mother. “Have you any idea what you’ve done? And you don’t even care, do you? Self righteous bitch.”

The judge banged his gavel in warning.

Mycroft closed his mouth, but continued looking at his mother coldly. It was a look that had made politicians and government representatives alike quail. Mrs. Holmes didn’t fare much better, looking away.

“Thank you, Mr. Holmes.”

Mycroft nodded once. “Feeling guilty yet?” he said as he stepped down.

The barrister for the defence stood up and requested another break. When the judge asked for justification, he replied that he needed to converse with his client regarding her plea.

Mrs. Holmes looked like she wanted to object, but held her tongue.

“Denied,” the judge continued, he turned and nodded once to the guy at the door.

After a few moments Siger stepped in and at that Mrs. Holmes went completely white.

John smiled in satisfaction. Maybe it was vindictive of him, but he was enjoying seeing her so discomfited.

“I change my plea,” she said quickly. There was clearly something in Siger’s testimony that she didn’t want the whole world to hear about.

The courtroom went eerily silent, then it burst out in a buzzing cacophony. The judge pounded his gavel until it quieted again.

At the change in plea, both Holmes brothers scrambled from the room and waited for the court to be dismissed. Sherlock was rather surprised. He had expected the trial to last days. He had been further surprised when she had received the maximum sentence. All he wanted to do now was go home with his family and put the whole ordeal behind him.

“You’re quiet, babe. Aren’t you happy?”

“Is it wrong to celebrate?”

John hugged him. "Absolutely not. You have reason to celebrate. You stood up for yourself against a woman who hurt you and now she's going to pay the price for what she's done. I'm proud of you. We all are."

Sherlock screwed his nose up at that. “Yeah right.”

Finn tugged on his sleeve on the way to the car park.

“What is it, champ?”

“Can I go to Uncle Mycof on weekend?”

Sherlock glanced at John questioningly.

"Greg invited him. The girls are going to be visiting," the doctor explained.

"Just for the day, or do you want to spend the night?" Sherlock couldn’t imagine that working since Finn still slept with both him and John.

“Day time.”

“Ok.”

“Wooo. But you come too.”

Greg heard the conversation. "Of course you're invited, Sherlock. You too, John."

Finn jumped up and down, excited.

The drive back to Baker Street was much more relaxed and pleasant than the drive to the courthouse had been.

“Mycroft did you have a hand in mother’s sentence?”

Mycroft shook his head. “No. I merely passed on my... regrets. And her outburst at you no doubt helped.”

Sherlock settled against John, feeling comfortable. "That makes it all the better."

“Ready to celebrate now?”

Sherlock nodded. “Lets go out tonight.”

“We can’t. Gregory is picking up the girls.”

“Bring them.”

Greg looked in the mirror. "You're sure?"

"Of course I am. I wouldn't have said it otherwise."

"Alright." Greg couldn’t help but reflect on how much Sherlock had changed from the sharp tongued youth he had first met. It was a change for the better.

His eyes flickered toward Finn briefly. He couldn’t help but think that boy had helped as much as he, Mycroft and John had combined.

When they got back to Baker Street, Mrs. Hudson rushed in ahead of the rest of them, intent on fixing tea in celebration.

“We don’t want tea, Mrs. Hudson!” Sherlock yelled in after her. “We want beer. Lots of beer.”

John laughed as he followed his boyfriend up the stairs. The day was turning out so much better than he had expected.

“We better get going, Sherlock,” Mycroft said from the door. “Or we won’t be back in time for dinner.”

Sherlock nodded once where he’d sat on the floor beside Finn and his truck.

"How about you, Mr. Holmes?" John asked. "Will you be staying? You're more than welcome."

"I've told you before to call me Siger."

“What do you think, Sherlock?” The doctor glanced at his boyfriend. “Reckon your dad should stick around?”

"Please," Finn requested, looking hopeful.

Sherlock looked up at his father. "You should stay." He was still getting used to spending time with him and it felt awkward at times, but he wanted whatever Finn wanted and he had to get used to it sooner or later.

“We could go to Angelos?” Sherlock suggested crashing the truck into Finn’s foot.

“And what is Angelos?” Siger asked.

"It's a nice little Italian restaurant," John explained. "The owner thinks the world of Sherlock."

“Hmm. Get him off a murder charge, did you, Sherlock?”

The detective’s head snapped up then he snorted. “Sort of.”

Siger laughed, then sat down on the sofa. He was proud of his youngest son for so many reasons, not the least of which was the way he interacted with Finn.

“Ice cream,” Finn demanded.

Sherlock laughed. “After dinner, champ. And then you can have all the ice cream in the world.”

John smiled, choosing to join them. He never expected Sherlock to say no to such things.

Finn crawled over to Sherlock’s chair and reached under it, pulling Geoff his dinosaur out from under it. He stood up and, hugging the toy, went to the coffee table where his colouring book and crayons lay.

“You don’t want to play with your truck?”

“No. Ice cream.” He pushed the table away with far too much anger for a 3 year old, it nearly rocked onto its side.

Sherlock sighed. He didn’t know how to deal with this. He couldn’t yell at the boy, he’d terrify him.

John jerked his head in Finn’s direction. “Go on.”

Rolling his eyes, the detective got to his feet.

“Finn,” he tried.

“Go’way!”

Sherlock took the boy by the hand and lead him, protesting, to the stairs to the spare room. He sat him on the bottom step. "You have to sit there for three minutes quietly. If you talk or make noise, I'll start the time over."

Finn pouted and crossed his arms over his chest, looking remarkably like a sulking Sherlock. He wanted nothing more than to hug him but they needed some boundaries. This seemed suitable enough.

It almost physically hurt to turn around and go back into the living room, but the detective managed it. He didn't notice the way both John and Siger looked at him, full of pride. He set the stopwatch on his phone but paused when he heard the creaking of a floorboard. He turned back and took Finn by the hand, taking him back to the stairs. “I’m going to restart the timer, Finn.”

The little boy's bottom lip popped out. "I don't wanna sit there. It's boring."

"That's the point."

“But-”

“No more arguments, buddy. Sit there and keep quiet.”

“Sowwy.”

Sherlock smiled sadly and ruffled his hair. “3 minutes.”

He reset the timer and returned to the living room.

"Finish your beer before it gets too warm," John told him, handing him the neglected bottle of beer.

“That was awful,” he muttered staring into the swirling liquid.

“You’re not meant to enjoy punishing them, Sherlock,” Siger said joining him.

"Good, because I don't." He couldn't help thinking about Mummy. Had she enjoyed what she had done to him or had she simply not cared? He wasn't sure which idea was worse.

“She wasn’t punishing you,” Siger saw instantly what he was thinking. “Nor did you deserve anything she did. Did she ever once put you on the ‘naughty’ step?”

"No." Sherlock gave himself a shake to dispel his childhood memories. "That's one thing she never did."

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he got to his feet.

Finn’s bottom lip was trembling when Sherlock reached him. It nearly broke Sherlock’s heart.

The detective took Finn's small hand in his. "You can come back now," he said with a soft smile for the little boy.

“Sowwy,” he repeated.

The detective scooped him up and dumped him on his shoulders. “I know. Now are we going to play with your truck before uncle Mycroft gets back?”

"Yes!" Finn agreed, kicking his feet and almost falling off.

Sherlock grabbed Finn by the ankles, then he ran around the room making airplane noises before settling carefully to the floor.

The other members of the room made a point to not pay any attention to Finn as he came back in. They didn’t want to embarrass him but the second the boy was on his feet, Siger swept in, scooped him up and dropped him, letting him bounce on the sofa.

John looked on, amused. He felt the most relaxed he had in months. He would be content to just sit there and watch the others play for hours. He glanced down at his phone. "Mycroft and Greg are on their way. They'll be here in 15 minutes."

“Yay!” Finn yelled. “Ice cream.”

Sherlock laughed. “Yes I suppose their arrival does mean ice cream is closer. Now come through to the bedroom, we can get you into something more comfortable.”

Finn was happy to comply. His shirt was already pulled out of his trousers and he had kicked off his shoes quite some time ago.


	3. Misunderstandings

10 minutes later Sherlock was back in his usual suit looking far more comfortable. Finn was wearing a checkered shirt, looking not dissimilar from John.

Sherlock’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen. On it was a message from his brother. Mycroft and Greg were waiting out in the car.

Sherlock glanced out of the window. It was more like a mini bus than a car. Having a brother in the British government helped with some matters.

"Uncle Mycroft and Greg are here," he said, turning away from the window and facing the room.

Finn was already on his feet and out the door. But John yelled ‘no’ too loudly, concerned the boy was about to charge out onto a busy street. The affects were instantaneous. Finn charged into the bedroom and out of sight. 

“Bollocks,” John hissed.

"I'll get him," Sherlock said, heading after the little boy.

"No. I'd better go get him. He needs to know I wasn't angry with him and I wasn't going to hurt him." John hated how fragile Finn could be at times. Certain aspects had come on in leaps and bounds, it would be a long time before the everyday things were easy.

"Finn?" John called softly into the dark bedroom. He didn't get a response, but he wasn't very surprised. In the gloom, he could see the little boy curled up in the middle of their bed, his arm over his head.

When he saw John he fell off it and scrambled under the bed. 

The doctor sighed quietly and crouched down beside the bed. "Hey there, munchkin. I didn't mean to sound like I was yelling at you. I'm not angry and I promise I'm not going to hurt you. I was only trying to keep you safe."

Finn shuffled further back under the bed but John decided against getting up and walking around. He would give him a moment to calm down. To that end, he sat on the floor next to the bed and waited quietly.

Eventually, Finn crept out from under the bed on the far side. He peeked over the mattress at the back of John's head. "You pwomise you're not mad?"

John turned around and rested his chin on the mattress. “Of course I’m sure. You just need to be careful when you leave the flat, ok bud? It’s very busy outside.”

Finn nodded, then crawled over the bed to John. He still looked nervous, but he held out his arms to the doctor. John stood, then picked him up. "Let's go join the others, yeah?"

Finn didn’t move just wrapped his arms around John’s neck, holding him tightly. 

The doctor returned to the living room, his hand cradling the back of Finn's head. "We can go now. Everything's fine."

Sherlock fought down his urge to reach for the little boy. He knew John needed to bond with him as much as he did.

Greg was about to ask what was taking so long, but he spotted John holding Finn and knew instantly. He was stood beside Mycroft, his girls beside him.

The little boy saw the girls over John's shoulder and immediately ducked his head. The girls looked disappointed. They were eager to meet him.

“He’s just nervous,” John said with a smile. 

“Girls, you remember John and Sherlock, don’t you?”

They both nodded. “Well this is Sherlock and Mycroft’s Dad. And John is holding their son, Finn.”

Sherlock smiled a genuine smile at the introductions. He loved being introduced as a family. It wasn't something he had ever expected to have, but now that he did, it meant everything to him.

Before he knew what was happening Finn had lunged for him. 

“You are a monkey.”

“Am not!”

“Are you going to say hi?”

"Hi." The little boy felt more confident in Sherlock’s arms. He looked at the two girls with curiosity. They didn't seem very scary. He wiggled, wanting down. 

After a moment or two of being the smaller one he tugged Sherlock’s sleeve again.

The detective scooped Finn back up, then proceeded to the mini bus where he buckled him into the booster seat.

Siger opened of the doors to the vehicle and assisted Mrs. Hudson getting in. He climbed in beside her.

This time, Greg wasn't driving. Beth sat to his left and Amy sat to his right. They were intent on spending as much time with him as they could.

As the mini bus started to move, Finn leant over and took first Sherlock’s hand, then he leant in the other direction and took John's hand. He seemed perfectly happy just to hold them.

After 10 minutes, Finn began to fidget, kicking his legs out. After 15 minutes, Sherlock began to fidget, doing much the same. 

John didn’t have the heart to chide them. The day had been stressful with the trial even though it had had the best possible outcome. If he was honest, he was surprised that it had taken Sherlock as long as it had to fidget.

What concerned the doctor was the choice of restaurant Mycroft had made. He hadn't told them where they were going but they were clearly driving too far for it to actually be Angelos. He just hoped the kids wouldn’t be too bored wherever they ended up.

John was most surprised when they pulled up outside the harvester just on the outskirts of town. All you could eat salad would keep Finn and Sherlock happy for hours. Of course, there was the very real danger of a food fight, but the doctor would worry about that if it happened. 

The entire group exited mini bus like a bundle of performers. Their large group drew the eyes of the passersby. As a result, Finn insisted on being picked up so he could hide his face against Sherlock’s shoulder.

The detective smiled sadly at his boyfriend, he understood why the boy was so shy but didn’t mean he had to like it.

Greg's girls were anything but shy. Beth and Amy pulled him along by the hands, calling for 'Mycie' to hurry up.

John was waiting for his partner to make a food comment related to Mycroft but he seemed more interested in the little boy he was holding.

At their table, Siger held the chair for Mrs. Hudson, then he took a seat next to her. "My son thinks a lot of you, I can tell," he told her amidst the general noise of their small group. 

Mrs. Hudson lowered herself into the seat and waited for Siger to settle beside her before she spoke. 

“Only one?”

"The other one is scared of you." Mr. Holmes glanced meaningfully at his eldest son, causing Mrs. Hudson to titter.

"He wants everyone to think he's so scary, but look at him."

Amy had climbed into Mycroft’s lap as had Finn. Beth was quite content on Greg’s. 

"Uncle Mycie," Finn wheedled, "can’t we have ice cream first?"

“No!” John said across the table before either Holmes could speak. “Food first, mate, they have all you can eat pasta.”

At that, Finn sprang to his feet and hurtled off toward the salad bar, Sherlock managed to grab him by his coat as he ran passed.

The salads they made were grand enough to qualify as architectural masterpieces. They both put on lettuce tomatoes, peppers, radishes and bacon. When Finn added eggs, Sherlock made a disgusted look.

But it seemed to be the wrong thing to do, as Finn’s eyes widened in horror and he took off towards the toilets leaving the bowl on the side.

The detective set his bowl down, berating himself as he went after him. It had slipped his mind how Finn's so called parents had treated him when it came to food. He had completely forgotten about the past, both his own and the boy’s. 

John appeared behind him. “Babe?”

“Finn took off.”

The doctor fell in beside Sherlock. "It'll be alright. We'll talk to him. He's going to need time. We have to remember that and expect things like this."

The detective glanced over at their table, Mycroft inclined his head once, message understood.

The two men found Finn in the toilets trying bravely not to cry. John held back as Sherlock approached him. The boy was still so small, he had wedged himself between the toilet and the wall.

The detective crouched down as close to Finn as he could. "Hey, now. There's nothing to be upset about. Do you know why I made that face?"

The little boy shook his head.

"Well, I wasn't disapproving of you putting eggs on your salad. If you like them, you should have them, but I really don't like them on my salad. I think they're gross. I was trying to be silly and play with you, but I messed up. Can you understand that?" He shook his head. 

Closing his eyes briefly, he glanced at John for help. 

“Do you want to know why Sherlock doesn’t like eggs Finn?”

He nodded slightly. 

“When me and uncle Mycroft were little Mummy used to force us to eat them. And cabbage and trees. All of those horrible things.”

“If you don’t like them, I don’t like them.”

Sherlock laughed. "You can like them if you want to. I won't mind. I promise. John likes them."

John had screwed his face up behind the younger man and poked his tongue out. When Sherlock turned around John acted completely normal, that seemed to help bring the boy out of his corner as he laughed.

Finn reached for the detective's hand. They paused at the sinks to clean up, then they went back out into the restaurant.

They already had drinks out and Mycroft had clearly deduced the menu for the 3 of them. 

“Shall we go back to the salad?” Sherlock asked, setting Finn on his feet. 

“Daddy, what’s wrong with Finn?” Beth asked, tugging Greg’s sleeve.

He shushed her and waited until he and Sherlock were out of earshot. "He's had a tough few years. We can talk about it at home, but for now, don’t treat him any differently than you would any other little boy, yeah?" Beth frowned, watching finn closely. 

“Please, Beth, treat him normally. He’s scared enough.”

After a moment, and a punch on the arm from her sister, Beth nodded.

It was just in time because Finn and Sherlock returned to the table and sat down. The little boy had decided to get eggs after all. He was happy sitting on a booster between John and the detective. He felt almost as tall as John. 

The detective clearly saw what he was thinking and he snorted. 

“What?” John asked. 

“Finn is as tall as you,” he ducked the clip round the head.

All three children giggled. Greg and Mycroft didn’t do much better in hiding their mirth.

"Git," John told his boyfriend with a wink for Finn. 

“Come on girls,” Greg said petting them both on the head. “Time for salad.”

It was at that point the waiter came over with a dozen empty glasses. Finn looked at them questioningly and, then he looked up at Sherlock. He'd obviously never seen anything like it before.

This time, John took control. "Come on, munchkin. Let's go get drinks."

Finn had a mouthful of egg that he swallowed as he glanced at John. “Daddy.”

The doctor just grinned broadly and scooped him up out of his chair. John handed Finn an empty glass, then picked up one for himself. Together, they ended up in front of the drink station.

“Pick a flavour.”

Finn merely frowned, watching as John put his glass under the dispenser. 

“There’s, Apple, orange, or coke.”

“Apple,” the little boy grinned as John let him tap the button, but the boy just frowned again. 

“Now you can add cherry, lime-”

“Lime!” he said quickly. “Green.”

“You got to hold it this time.” The doctor pointed to the lime button.

Finn pressed it and watched his glass fill. He giggled when the green liquid got to the top and pulled his finger back.

“Let the bubbles go down before you carry it.”

John had grabbed Sherlock’s glass as well and he filled them both with coke, adding cherry to Sherlock’s.

They returned carefully back to the table with their drinks, John kissing the top of Sherlock’s head in passing.

But rather than take his seat again, Finn kept walking until he reached Siger. Without waiting for an invitation he climbed up on his lap. “Grandad.”

Mr. Holmes hugged the little boy to him, tucking Finn's head beneath his chin. "I love hearing that, sprout."

Siger held him tight, glancing at Sherlock and smiling broadly. Sherlock had helped more than one scared little boy when he had insisted he take him in. He’d given them all a family.

Mrs. Hudson reached over and rubbed the only part of Finn's back that was exposed. He was such a dear child. 

Finn stayed on Siger’s lap for the remainder of the meal, letting Mrs. Hudson cut up his food.


	4. Are You the Queen?

Back at Baker Street, the three youngest were sat on the floor playing with Finn’s Lego set that Mycroft had bought him. It made such a lovely sight that Mrs. Hudson excused herself, her hands fluttering, to make tea lest she start crying from happiness.

Sherlock watched her go, bemused. He cared for Mrs. Hudson, but that didn't mean he understood her. He looked back down at Finn when the little boy brought him two lego pieces that he couldn't make go together. 

“You can’t make two pieces fit together if they don’t fit, bud,” he said with a laugh. 

Finn grabbed up the instructions and pointed at the bit he was stuck on. The boy was right, he had the correct pieces.

John leant over and took them. With his tongue stuck out in concentration, he struggled with the two pieces until they finally snapped together.

“I’m sure the girls can figure it out,” Greg said with a chuckle. “The amount of this stuff they have at home is immense.”

"Yeah, Finn," Beth said. "We'd like to help." She was sorting the blocks by colour whilst her sister rolled her eyes.

Finn giggled. He agreed with Amy. Sorting the legos was silly. She smiled at him and they giggled together. Then before anyone could stop him he reached out and pushed all the piles away, knocking the stacks over into a heap. 

Amy clapped and helped him mix them up into a hopeless mess.

"Dad!" Beth complained.

But Greg was laughing too.

Sherlock had frozen, waiting to see what the reaction was before he intervened. He got down on the floor with the children. "Finn, that wasn't very nice. I think you and Amy should help Beth sort the pieces. I'll help."

Finn watched him for a moment. “No! The colours are boring.”

“Sherlock-” Greg tried to intervene, but when he saw the look on Beth’s face he sighed. “Amy, apologise to your sister.”

“But Dad, you laughed-”

Finn got to his feet and kicked the pieces, then he took off out the room in a hurry.

Sherlock’s mouth formed a thin line. He hated to have to chide the boy, but he was going to have to go after him.

“I can,” John offered. “This is only going to get worse the longer he is with us.”

“But-”

“Babe, I’m not saying it’s bad. I’m saying it’s good. It's obvious he’s not terrified. But we both need a fair share in dealing with it.” As John took off after Finn, the two girls watched. 

“I didn’t meant to make him mad,” Beth whispered, she was sat on Greg’s lap.

"It's okay. It's not your fault. We have to be understanding with him and let the adults handle it when something like this happens," Greg told her. “Come on, let’s build that spaceship Finn liked.”

Amy had been flicking through the instruction manual and found the ship.

John found Finn in his and Sherlock’s bedroom. The little boy was sat in the middle of the bed with his arms crossed. He sat down on the edge of the bed. "You need to come back into the living room and apologise to Beth."

Finn moved further back, towards the head of the bed, away from John. 

“Finn, you will come with me and apologise.”

“No!”

"Alright. I'll go tell our guests you don't feel like playing. You can stay in here. I'll come check on you in a bit."

“But, I want to!” Finn got to his feet and tried to race passed the doctor, but John was having none of it he grabbed the little boy around the waist and dumped him back on the bed. 

"No apology, no play time," the doctor said sternly. He refused to let himself be moved when the little boy's bottom lip began to tremble. "It's your choice, Finn." 

It wasn’t a complete shock but a slight surprise when Finn started to lash out at the blond. John caught his tiny fists in his hands (he was still far too small) “enough of that, mate.”

Finn struggled for a bit, then he stopped. He looked dazed and in shock.

John hugged him to his side, hating the lost look in the little boy's eyes. "Are you all done, then?" 

Finn, nodded his head into John’s shoulder and sobbed quietly. “Sowwy,” he whispered, not daring to look up.

"It's alright, but you still have to go tell Beth that." He gave Finn another hug. "Take your time, though. We're not in a hurry."

“Lego.”

“I think Greg is building something with the girls.”

Finn tried to take off again but John stopped him. 

“Calm down a little first, mate.”

Finn wiped at his eyes, then took a few deep breaths. "I am calm," he said, taking John's hand.

John laughed silently to himself, the boy was so like Sherlock, it was as if the pair was actually blood related.

Back in the living room, Finn hid behind John’s legs. He peeked out from behind him, nervous. 

Greg had explained what the girls needed to do when Finn returned to the room, Amy just smiled at him, almost shyly as well and Beth held up the half made spaceship.

The little boy bit his lip and looked at her. Encouraged by her smile, he said, "Sowwy," then hid behind John's legs again. 

John dropped his hand on Finn’s head. “Trouble you are,” he whispered, scooping him up and dumping him on the floor beside the Lego again. “Just like your dad.”

At that, Finn looked at Sherlock and smiled. He liked being called trouble if that meant he was like him.

Sherlock liked being called his dad. That meant maybe the boy could forget about his ‘real’ parents and everything they had done to him.

Amy crawled up and sat between Greg and Mycroft. She covered her mouth as she gave a big yawn, then she placed her head in her father's lap and her feet on Mycroft’s. 

Mycroft laughed. “I’m a foot rest now apparently.”

“Better than the British Government,” Sherlock pointed out.

It was a measure of how much things had changed between them that Mycroft didn’t snipe back. He patted Amy's ankle. "Just so. For a time, anyway."

“Are you the queen?” Beth asked.

Greg snorted very undignified. Shortly followed by John bursting out laughing, unable to control himself.

“Near enough,” Sherlock joined them and sat with Finn. "Aren't you getting tired, bud?"

"Nope." Finn reached out and plucked the lego piece he had been looking for out of the piles on the floor. Even as he put the lego piece in place, Finn let out a huge yawn that seemed to split his face in two.

Greg took the hint and gathered his two girls up. "Amy, Beth, get your coats. It's time we go home."

“No!” Finn whacked the floor with his hands.

“Alright you,” Sherlock said getting to his feet and scooping the boy up before a full scale temper tantrum filled the flat.

The others got up to leave as well: Mycroft, Mrs. Hudson and Mr. Holmes. It had been a long day for everyone starting with the verdict in the trial and the subsequent celebration. 

Sherlock let Finn say goodbye to the girls as Greg took them out to the car, but he lunged for Mycroft before he could stop him. 

“Oh, bud you shouldn't do that. You'll hurt yourself.”

“So?” Finn's bottom lip was out in a pout. 

“Fine you'll hurt... you'll hurt Daddy.” 

Sherlock could tell Mycroft was enjoying himself too much. Far too much.

"I'll see you soon, Finn," the government official assured the little boy. He moved in and took him from Sherlock’s arms so he could hug him properly.

But before he was done, the boy was lunging at Siger. “Grandad.”

Sherlock snorted at the indignant look on not just his father's face but his brother's too. 

“Wasn't hurting Daddy,” Finn pointed out happily in Siger's arms.

Siger kissed his cheek. "No, but you could have fallen. We don't want that either. Your dad is rather high up from the ground."

The older Holmes handed Finn to John rather than Sherlock and gave Mycroft a small shove to the door. 

“Mrs. Hudson, would you like me to walk you home?” 

She wasn't the only one who burst out laughing. 

The following morning Finn was fast asleep on the bed between both John and Sherlock. The detective woke first, or so he thought. 

John’s hand snaked over Finn's head and ruffled Sherlock's hair. 

“Morning.”

“Hmm,” the detective grunted, watching Finn. “Shouldn't he be starting school soon?”

John blinked a couple of times at his boyfriend. "I suppose... I thought we would teach him here. It seemed like the kind of thing you would want to do." He looked at the peacefully sleeping boy. "But he does need to learn to make friends. He's had precious little opportunity for that."

“I would rather he was taught here until he was legally obliged to go to school.”

John nodded. “He’s a clever kid. Given his... upbringing. I’m assuming you went to Eton?”

“Both Mycroft and I did. We had no choice. Mycroft had a choice... father insisted he be allowed to choose his own path, but when... when she started doing things to me, I had no choice, father insisted I go.”

"Then that's what we do," John told him with a smile. "We're not idiots. We can do this. Together."

Finn opened his eyes and hugged Sherlock. He'd been pretending to sleep. "I don't want to go away from you!"

"You're not, sprout. Weren't you listening?"

“Don’t like sprouts,” Finn said shaking his head.

Sherlock rolled his eyes. “You’re nearly 4. That means you have another whole year before you have to go to school.”

Finn just closed his eyes again. “What about a private tutor?” Sherlock asked. “When you turn 5?” If he was honest, he didn’t want to let the boy out of his sight any more than Finn wanted to leave him.

“There’s always groups we can go to,” John added. “So you can meet other boys and girls that will be 5 too?”

"Okay," Finn agreed, biting his lip.

"Good." John climbed out of bed. "Will you help me make sure Sherlock eats something? What do you think he wants?"

“Waffles,” Finn said automatically.

John just laughed. “Come on then, you can help.”

The doctor took Finn from the room and into the kitchen, aware Sherlock would want to ring Mycroft to discuss plans despite the fact Finn was only 3.

They'd probably have the boy’s entire future planned out within hours. John smiled as he snorted. He'd just have to do his best to help Finn thwart their plans whenever it was needed in the years to come. He knew his would have to be the voice of sanity.

If the boy didn’t want the ‘learning from home’ aspect as he got older, then they shouldn't force him. But he knew school would be difficult for the boy, and he’d end up in trouble, maybe it was best they tried and eased him out of the panicking before they thought about sending him away even for a few hours.

John set a bowl filled with the waffle ingredients on the table in front of Finn and gave him a spoon. "You get that stirred up good whilst I get the waffle iron ready."

Finn, his tongue sticking out, started stirring and stirring until he had a good batter.

Sherlock joined them in the kitchen and looked in the bowl. "Where's the chocolate chips?"

Finn held his finger to his lips and pulled his hand out from his trousers. In it was a pack of chocolate chips from the cupboard that he had hidden from the doctor.

The detective winked at Finn and together they opened the package and dumped them in.

"What are you two up to?" John asked suspiciously.

“Nothing,” they both replied together, but Finn’s innocent expression wasn’t as mastered as Sherlock’s was.

John looked between them at the batter that was now full of chocolate chips and laughed. “I can see already that you two make quite the pair. Where did you get them from, Sherlock?”

The detective frowned. “It wasn't me!”

The little boy bit his lip and suddenly looked like he was about to cry.

"Oh, Finn, I'm not angry," John said, crouching down beside him. "I was just curious. I didn't know we had them is all."

“I may or may not have put them in the trolley the last time we went to the store.”

“I knew there was a reason you wanted to come! You never do.” John grinned up at Sherlock which seemed to reassure Finn more than words had done.

“John’s not scary,” Sherlock pointed out, picking Finn up out of the chair. “In fact, he's very not scary.” Except to those who threatened the people he loved, but he didn't need to say that out loud. Hopefully, there would never be a time when Finn had to see that side of John.


	5. Chapter 5

The doctor kissed Sherlock on the cheek, then he tousled Finn's hair. "Time to make the waffles." He picked up the bowl and stirred it, mixing in the chocolate chips in a bit more, then he poured some of the batter into the waffle iron.

Finn struggled to get down so he could watch what John was doing. “Step back, little man, this thing fizzes since Sherlock tried to dry my trainers in it.”

Finn giggled. "Did you really?"

Sherlock winked at him. "I decline to answer."

"Daddy's silly." The little boy watched as steam poured out. "It looks like it's on fire."

“Yeah. It does that too. Since Sherlock experimented with ice, door keys and the waffle machine. You’d think since waffles are the only thing he will eat without complaining that he would leave the thing alone that makes them.”

"You know coadoption is going to be difficult," Sherlock said randomly over Finn's head. He was satisfied the boy would have no idea what they were talking about.

John glanced at Finn who was digging into his waffles then at Sherlock. "Not if we were married."

That caught the little boy's attention. "You're gonna get mawwied?" He started bouncing in his chair, excited. "Can I tell Mrs. Hudson?"

Sherlock snorted, watching John. He didn't quite know what to say. “We aren't even engaged.”

“Yes we are.”

“You meant it?” Sherlock frowned.

“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it, babe, despite the circumstances.”

Between the happy look on Finn's face and the lopsided smile on John's there was nothing the detective could do but agree. "Very well. We're engaged." He kissed John, then stepped back grinning, surprised at how happy the prospect made him.

Quick as lightning, Finn dashed downstairs to tell Mrs. Hudson.

Both of them stared at the door in shock for a moment.

“The little terror hasn't even finished his breakfast," John exclaimed.

A squeal of delight sounded its way from downstairs and they soon heard Finn and Mrs. Hudson on their way up.

“Hide,” Sherlock said quickly, and the pair of them scrambled into the front room and under the table.

"Woo hoo. Boys!" their landlady called out. "Now where did they go?"

Finn didn’t have any trouble finding them. He got down on his knees and looked under the table. "Here they are."

“Daddy's playing fort wars.”

Sherlock snorted then froze. “Is that my father's footsteps I can hear on the stairs?”

“Ah, Sherlock dear, he was too tired to return home last night.”

Sherlock covered his ears. “Blah blah blah. I can't hear you!”

"Oh, do grow up, Sherlock Holmes." Mrs. Hudson reached under the table and snagged the detective by the ear, then pulled him out from under it.

John crawled out and stood before he received the same treatment.

Siger was grinning at the doorway by that point, Finn in his arms. He couldn't help but chuckle at his son's treatment. The way Martha treated him was nothing like his ex wife had done. She was playful with how she handled him and would never really hurt him. But not only did Sherlock seem to be resigned to it, he seemed comfortable with it despite the uncomfortable situation.

“Come on, Finn, time you finished your breakfast,” John patted his knee.

Reluctantly, the little boy climbed up in his chair. He was almost too excited to eat, but it was a waffle with chocolate chips after all, so he managed.

Sherlock was getting stared at by Mrs. Hudson. She refused to take her eyes off him as Siger crossed the room and held his hand out to John. As the doctor took Siger's hand, he was pulled into a hug. Mr. Holmes patted him on the back enthusiastically. "It's going to be good having you as part of the family officially. Although, I’m getting a sense of deja vu.”

"Thank you. And yes… Sherlock didn’t believe me." John took a step back. He looked at his fiancé and beamed at him. They really were going to do this.

Mrs. Hudson finally unfroze and hugged Sherlock. "Oh, Im just so happy for you. I knew you two were right for each other that very first day."

The detective looked at John pleadingly for help. The blond just shrugged in response and went back to the waffle machine.

It was Siger who saved Sherlock. He took Mrs. Hudson gently by the shoulders and dislodged her, then hugged her himself. "It looks like we have a wedding to plan."

Sherlock hadn’t thought they needed to get married, not before, but as he looked at Finn, then turned to look at John, he realised he wanted nothing more. His eyes stung a bit, but he refused to do anything as ridiculous as crying.

Finn’s legs were kicking out as he munched on his waffle. He didn’t understand Sherlock’s reaction to Mrs. Hudson. There was no way the little boy could understand how much the detective cared for his landlady, but that he could only take being fussed over so much.

"Does it have to be a big wedding?" Sherlock asked, obviously unnerved by the idea. Though he didn't want one, he'd do it if John did.

The doctor glanced over, unsure what to say. “You don't want it to be?”

Sherlock stepped up towards him. “No. No, I do. I just... Mrs. Hudson will make a fuss.”

“Your mum won't get out of prison, babe,” John could immediately sense what was getting to Sherlock.

The detective bit his lip, still unsure.

"And Mrs. Hudson can stand in as your mum. She's been more of a mother to you than that woman ever was." Siger smiled at Martha, hugging her around the waist with one arm.

Sherlock glanced between them, not speaking. The room fell into an awkward silence up until Finn tugged on Sherlock's sleeve.

The detective scooped the little boy up and let him sit on his hip. "What do you think, Finn? Do you want to be a ring bearer?"

At that, Mrs. Hudson clasped her hands together, happy tears threatening to fall.

Finn just looked blankly. Then glanced at Siger. “Do I have to wear the suit again?”

Siger laughed. "Either that suit or another one."

Finn made a face. "I'll do it, but I won't like it." He have Sherlock an excited look. "Will you get married today?"

Sherlock snorted, but it was Mrs. Hudson who answered.

“No! There’s lots of planning to do. And you won’t be wearing that dreadful thing.”

“If Mycroft has anything to do with it, it will be just as bad,” Sherlock pointed out.

"It's our wedding, babe" John said, wrapping an arm around Sherlock’s waist. "We get to choose what Finn wears and what we wear as well. No one is hijacking our wedding from us."

“Yeah right. Have you met Mycroft?”

“The same Mycroft who stood by you at the trial? The same Mycroft who made sure Finn got to stay with us?”

"Uncle Myc!" Finn clapped. "Will he be there too? And Uncle Greg?"

Sherlock gave John a forlorn look. "Perhaps we should elope."

John shook his head. “Stop being so dramatic. Mycroft will start getting controlling if you block him out completely.”

"Hmph."

"Besides, Greg will keep him from becoming too overbearing. You know Mycroft listens to him."

"Fine. But if he sticks his nose in too far, I'm blaming you."

Finn wriggled out of Sherlock’s grasp and ran into the living room, bored with the serious adult talk that was going on.

"Son," Siger said, "I suggest you go ahead and phone your brother with the news. You don't want him learning of it through other means."

“Other means?”

“Well your son is searching your pockets. Most likely for your phone.”

With a few long strides, Sherlock had crossed the living room and plucked his phone from Finn's grasping hands. He looked at the phone for a long moment, then turned to John. "This is one of those things that should be done in person, isn't it?" He didn't sound all that happy about it.

"Yes, it is." John grinned, proud that he hadn't had to tell his fiancé that fact. “But he was there when I proposed the first time.”

“But, daddy!” Finn moaned. “I want to tell uncle Myc!”

Sherlock rolled his eyes. “You can tell him when he gets here. For a 3 year old you’re too excited for this!”

"Am not. I'm gonna have two real daddys. You said so. I heard you say you were gonna dopt me. I know what that means."

Sherlock finally understood what the little boy was thinking about.

The detective crouched down in front of him. “Finn, it will change nothing. You will be no more or less mine when that happens.”

“And John’s?” He asked quietly.

Sherlock froze. “It’s only a legal thing, Finn. You’re our son now just as much as you will be once we’ve signed the adoption papers.”

The little boy threw his arms around Sherlock’s neck and held on tight. "But it will be ficial. No one can say I'm not yours."

“No one would dare say it now,” Sherlock reassured him.

He held up his phone. "Now about that call-" He quickly pulled up Mycroft’s number and rang him. When the government official answered, Sherlock said, "Brother dear. Get Lestrade and bring him over. There's something Finn wants to tell the both of you."

“Something Finn wants to tell us?” Mycroft sounded confused. “What on Earth are you going on about?”

“Just get around here, Mycroft. And father is here. With Mrs. Hudson.”

"In that case, I shall collect Gregory. But, Sherlock, this had best not be a waste of our time. If you have put Finn up to something-"

"No, brother dear. It was entirely Finn's idea to tell you what he wants to tell you."

“I'm liking this idea less and less," Mycroft muttered.

Sherlock just hung up the phone. Finn was jumping up and down, while clapping.

"Should we leave you two alone for a bit?" Siger thought they might want some space to discuss things before Mycroft and Greg arrived. "We can take Finn downstairs with us to play."

“No!” Finn stamped his foot.

Sherlock closed his eyes and then stepped forward. “Finn, you need to-”

“No!”

Siger took half a step forward then stopped himself. He wasn't the parent here, Sherlock and John were. He had to let them handle it.

The detective glanced at his now-fiancé, John was right, the more Finn settled, the more likely he was to act up.

Sherlock put his hands on his hips. "You will go downstairs with my father and Mrs. Hudson. Telling me no about the matter is not an option."

Finn opened and closed his mouth several times. Then he paused and stamped his foot again. “But Daddy!”

"You can come back up when my brother and Greg arrive." The detective gave Finn a light push towards the door. "Now go."

Rather than just walking towards the stairs, Finn ran in a clear sulk. Sherlock sighed and glanced to his father.

“He'll be fine.”

Sherlock raised an eyebrow.

Siger smiled. "Trust me. His sulks can't be any worse than yours were." He held out his arm and Mrs. Hudson took it, then they headed downstairs.


	6. Snakes and Ladders

John crossed to stand inside of his fiancé. "We really could elope, if that's what you want. The only thing that matters to me is you being happy."

“But you want the big white wedding. You've said it before.”

John snorted. “I wasn't gay when I said that,” he made it sound like he'd turned being gay off and on like a flick of a switch but they both knew Sherlock had something to do with it.

The detective thought long and hard for several minutes. "I want the wedding. I want it for Father, for Mrs. Hudson, for Finn, but I want it for us. I don't want to look back and regret not doing it."

John grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and pulled him in for a massive hug whilst pressing his lips to the younger man's. “I love you.”

Sherlock enjoyed the moment, letting himself be held. He rested his head against the doctor’s."I love you too." He was now doubly happy with his decision. “But this can't just be for Finn. If I have to adopt him as a single parent, I will.”

Sherlock was expecting John to step back but instead the doctor just hugged him again. “I've wanted to ask for a long time, babe, it was clear that day was a bit of a… mission. And recently, the time has never been right to remind you.”

The detective felt a welling of all the warm emotions that he had so long tried to suppress. He kissed the top of John's head. "Good. That's settled then."

Several minutes later, they heard the buzz from downstairs. It was immediately followed by Finn yelling joyfully and running for the front door.

Sherlock closed his eyes, looking away from the older man.

“It's not going to be that bad,” John said with a slight chuckle.

The news was out before Mycroft and Greg had even started up the stairs, spilling from Finn in an excited rush.

The government official picked the little boy up. "Let's go upstairs and talk to your fathers, shall we?"

But Finn looked unsure right up until Sherlock appeared at the top of the stairs. Then he fought his way to freedom and scrambled up them. "I told them! I told them, Daddy!"

"I can see that." Sherlock observed his brother’s countenance and, much to his surprise, saw nothing there but approval.

Finn paused in front of the detective. “Sowwy, Daddy.”

Sherlock watched his brother a moment longer before switching his attention to the little boy in front of him. He was certain John found the situation ironic as the doctor often accused him of sulking himself. “Thank you for apologising, Finn. Come on, then.”

He took Finn's hand and dragged him into the flat, knowing that his brother would follow.

The moment Greg saw John, he gave him a wink and a huge grin. "Congratulations, mate."

"Ta." John grinned right back. "It's about time, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Greg followed John into the kitchen. Both men knew the brothers needed to talk, even if they did so without uttering a single word.

Sherlock sat in his chair and Mycroft took John's. For several moments, there was nothing but silence. Finn looked from one brother to the other, completely confused. Then he got off Mycroft’s lap where he'd been sat and ran into the kitchen where he knew John was.

"Why aren't they saying anything?" Finn asked, tugging on John's trouser leg. "It's weird."

John laughed as he put on the kettle. "You'd be amazed what your Dad and your Uncle can say without speaking a word."

In the living room, Mycroft sighed. "Fine, but you will let me arrange the details, all to your taste, as my gift to you."

Sherlock tipped his head on one side and stared at his brother a moment longer. “I make the decisions?”

The government official nodded once.

"Damn right you do!" Greg called out from the kitchen. "I'll keep my eye on Myc. That's my gift to you."

At that, the detective gave a genuine smile and even said, "Thank you."

“Will they stop staring at each other now?” Finn asked, eyes wide in confusion still.

Greg laughed. “Probably not.”

The little boy had had enough of that. He ran into the living room and climbed into the government official's lap. "Uncle Myc. You're s'pose to play with me now."

“Am I indeed?” Mycroft glanced over Finns head at his brother who was sniggering. “Do you think your... daddy should join in?”

"Yup! Papa got me Snakes and Ladders. We can play, but we have to make sure Daddy doesn’t cheat."

“How can he cheat at Snakes and Ladders?” Greg asked, carrying in a tray of coffees and a milkshake for Finn.

“You don't want to know,” it was John who responded, as he collapsed on the sofa beside his fiancé.

Finn had got the game and put it on the coffee table. He was sat on the floor and Mycroft had dragged Sherlock’s chair over next to him.

“We could play monopoly,” Sherlock suggested, watching for the look on Mycroft's face.

His brother didn't respond and it made him laugh. “You've come round here to plan my wedding and instead we're playing snakes and ladders?”

"It's what my nephew wants to play. Besides, I doubt very much that he's learned the concept of money, let alone the maths required for the game." Mycroft winked at Finn. "Besides, you have to decide what you and John want before I can do anything."

Sherlock watched his brother for a long while. “I want it so loud mother hears it and gets to know what she is missing.”

Mycroft’s smile was bright, a rare sight that only Greg normally got to see. "I shall certainly see to that."

Finn got a 4 and moved his counter forward 4 squares. The grownups were still talking so he tugged at Sherlock’s trousers. "It's your go, Daddy."

Sherlock was so focused on Mycroft he didn't even notice Finn, so the little boy moved his counter an extra space which was conveniently at the bottom of a ladder.

Greg spotted it but just snorted, choosing not to mention it. “Daddy! Your go,” he had to say something, or Finn would give himself away.

"I'm hardly old enough to be your daddy, Lestrade." The detective got a three and moved his counter, huffing at falling behind already.

Finn glanced at Greg slightly confused. The DI just winked making him smile.

“Uncle Myc!”

Mycroft smiled at Finn and rolled the dice, getting a six. "That's how it's done, little brother."

Mycroft's move had put him just the other side of the ladder, meaning he'd missed the ladder to row 6.

“That's not how it's done, Uncle Myc,” he reached forward and tapped his own counter. “That's how it is done.”

Greg laughed outright and picked up the dice, rolling it. He sighed and moved the meagre 2 he had gotten.

The game continued in that fashion with each of them climbing ladders and sliding down snakes. Now both Sherlock and Finn were close to reaching the end.

“Does Donovan have to be there?” Sherlock asked suddenly, looking toward the doctor.

"It's our wedding. We don't have to invite anyone you don't want to be there." John crossed over to him and rested his hands on his shoulders. "It's entirely up to you."

“But he will want her there,” Sherlock pointed at Greg.

The DI snorted. “A) it's not my wedding. B) why would I want her there?” He looked around at the others who were surprised. "What? I work with her. She's not my best mate."

“But a mate...” John prompted.

Greg just shrugged. “Colleagues pretty much covers it,” he corrected.

"Do I still have to be civil to her?" Sherlock asked his fiancé.

"Yes."

"Can't I say something pointed on occasion? Just once a week or so?"

John tipped his head on one side. “We have a son now.”

At that, Finn looked up. “Me?”

Sherlock reached over and pulled the boy up onto his lap. “Yes, you.” He supposed he needed to set a good example for Finn, but still... "It's not like I would say anything in front of him." Seeing John's expression, he let out a sigh. "Fine. I'll be civil." Sherlock turned the little boy upside down, making him giggle. When he tried to right him, he had grabbed onto his feet laughing.

“I'm going to drop you on your head unless you flip upright, Finn.”

The boy just kept laughing.

Sherlock tried bouncing him, but Finn only held on tighter. The detective lay the little boy across his lap and started tickling him.

As soon as he had let go, Greg was there and had picked him up by his feet. Finn squealed in delight as the DI spun him around.

John pinched the bridge of his nose. The living room was really too small for such nonsense.

“Look, John’s getting mad,” Sherlock said with a snort. “Isn't it adorable.”

“Dorable!” Finn laughed.

Greg finally stopped spinning the little boy around and set him on his feet. Finn took a few shaky steps, then fell, landing on his bum in a fit of giggles.

But it turned out he'd been laughing too hard for too long and he couldn't control his bladder.

Sherlock deduced it before Finn reacted but the little boy's eyes widened and he burst into tears.

“Hey,” Sherlock was on his feet and beside him immediately. Not caring about the expensive clothes he wore, he picked Finn up and started towards the bathroom. "No need for tears. It was an accident and accidents happen."

The little boy didn’t seem convinced. He tried to get down, out of Sherlock’s grip. All he wanted to do was run away and hide.

“Stop that, Finn,” Sherlock ordered softly. He made it to the bathroom and settled the boy on the floor as he ran the bath and kicked the door shut at the same time. When he saw Finn head toward it he flicked the lock that they had moved to about 5 foot so he couldn't lock himself inside.

"Get in the bath and get cleaned up, then we'll both put on clean clothes." Sherlock poured some bubble bath under the running water. "I promise you, everyone here had an accident like that at some point growing up."

"But-" Finn bit his lip. "Mummy used to get mad."

Sherlock closed his eyes, knowing that feeling far too well. “Mummy's not here. And she's never going to be again.” He helped undress his son and then lifted him into his arms to hold him tight for a moment. “See, I'm not mad.”

The little boy looked at him very seriously for a long moment, then spontaneously kissed him on the cheek. "I love you, Daddy."

Sherlock swallowed a lump in his throat. "I love you too." He set Finn down in the bubbly water, scooping up a handful of bubbles and placing them on his son's head.

Tears forgotten, Finn laughed again. And splashed. And splashed. And splashed. Until Sherlock was soaked.

But Finn didn't seem to get upset at the fact he'd made Sherlock wet which was a surprise. He unlocked the door again and then stripped off, throwing their dirty clothes out into the hall.

With a smirk at Finn, he climbed into the bath behind him.

By the time the bath was finished, the entire bathroom was a complete wreck. There was water and bubbles splashed everywhere. Sherlock did manage to find some dry-ish towels for them to use to dry off with, then he sent Finn into the bedroom to get dressed whilst he used the towels to soak up most of the mess.

It was his brother who appeared at the door. “You're amazing with him,” he offered once he knew John had shut the bedroom door behind them to help the boy get changed.

Sherlock looked up from where he had paused on his knees. “He deserves it.”

“He'll never want for anything, Sherlock. I hope you know that?”

The detective took his brother’s words in the spirit they were meant, not looking for hidden agendas because they weren't there. "Thank you, Mycroft. He's more important than the rest of us, isn't he? I don't think I ever understood that about children before now."

“He isn’t any ordinary child, that’s what makes him special. Now if you don’t mind, I’ve seen too much below the belt already.” Mycroft spun on his toe and headed back into the living room.

“You came in here!” Sherlock yelled after him.

Sherlock heard John laughing from the bedroom. "Ha ha, John. Ha ha." The detective threw the towels in with the dirty clothes, then entered the bedroom to get dressed himself.

Sherlock found John bouncing Finn on the bed. He smiled to himself and dressed quickly, glad that the little boy didn’t seem to be distressed any more.

John glanced over at him and smiled, but it didn't meet his eyes. Sherlock merely shrugged in response, what could they do but go with the flow?

When Sherlock finished dressing, he opened the bedroom door. "Come along, you two. I don't believe we've set the date for the wedding yet."

Finn giggled and raced out under Sherlock's arm. He charged at Mycroft and lunged into his lap.

It pleased Mycroft to no end that Finn did that with such careless abandon. The little boy was probably the only person besides his parents and the people in this room who didn't see him as the Ice Man. Finn just thought of him as his uncle. He didn't know that 'other man' and Mycroft vowed that he never would.


End file.
